In the Cell
by fandombloggingaddict
Summary: A tag-on to Rat's story Triggers. In the cell, while the team waited for the plan to move along so they could get Eliot out of there, one of the guards decided to take initiative. The team can only watch as Eliot is attacked. Hardison refuses to sit there and do nothing.


**A/N:** ** _Triggers_** **by fanfic author Rat is probably my favorite Leverage fic. It is elegant and masterful and jarring. I reread it once in a while, and this drabble grew in my head. I write it not to steal Rat's work's elements, but to express my love for it and to put my own spin on one bit of it. Reading** ** _Triggers_** **is not essential to enjoying this fic, but it** ** _is_** **essential to living your life to the fullest.**

The team was watching from the camera outside of the room where they were keeping Eliot. They brought him a cup of water occasionally, but other than that he as left alone. Until now. The man bringing in the water went in, closed the door, and didn't come back out.

"What are you doing?" Hardison muttered, checking the other cameras. There were no other guards on that floor. Only a minute had passed, but the hacker was getting antsy. This didn't fit the pattern. Why was that guy still in there?

There was audio on the video feed. The camera he'd hacked was a few yards away from the door, but he could hear something. It was quiet.

Scuffling. Something hitting the wall. A soft cry.

What the hell? Were they fighting? Hardison didn't have a feed in the room, he had no idea if Eliot was restrained or drugged or-

Shit, he was drugged. The water, twice a day like clockwork. That's why they hadn't gone in more often or felt the need to keep an eye on him, as dangerous as he was.

And now someone was in there, and there was a struggle, and Eliot was drugged. Hardison felt a rush of adrenaline with all this new information about the hitter's condition.

"Nate! Nate, get in here!"

The mastermind walked into the living room from where he'd been pouring a drink in the kitchen.

"What is it, Hardison?"

"It's Eliot," The hacker put the feed up on the TV from his laptop. "Something's happening."

Nate looked to the screens. The feed looked the same as usual, an empty hall with a closed door. But there were distant sounds of a struggle from behind the door.

"What's going on in there?" Nate asked, walking closer after setting his drink down.

"I don't know," The younger man admitted. "One of the guards came to give him water, but he didn't come back out. And then this started."

"Get him out of there," Nate said, eyes fixed on the footage.

"How? It's not like we've tried communicating with the place before."

"Fire alarm."

Before Hardison could say that he didn't that that would work, the door on the footage rattled as something was slammed into it. The hacker and the mastermind watched silently. After a second, the door opened quick and the guard was thrown into the hallway. He hit the other wall and turned around, looking pissed. Eliot was standing in the doorway, leaning on the door frame. He looked exhausted. There were bags under his eyes and his skin was pale. There was blood trickling from his brow and cuffs secured around his wrists. He was standing defensively.

"Is that guard attacking him? I thought they were waiting for an interrogator?"

Hardison just shook his head, watching with wide eyes as the guard charged at the hitter. Eliot tried to move out into the hallway to avoid impact, but the guard saw that coming and slammed him into the wall beside the door. Eliot groaned at the impact. The guard grabbed him by the shirt with one hand and formed a fist with the other. Eliot lifted his arms to strike first, but his reflexes were dulled by the drugs and his head was turned with the force of the punch that met his jaw. The hitter stomped on his foot, making the man yell in pain as the heel dug in there. The guard got in his face and said lowly, "You're gonna regret that."

"Do something," Nate said. Hardison wasn't sure if he was talking to him or the Eliot on screen, but the hacker set to work. He typed at lightning speed while Nate watched the screen. Eliot was trying his best to fight off the guard, but in his condition, it must be impossible. He hadn't eaten in two days, he was drugged to the point where it was hard to stay awake, and he was cuffed.

"There's no sign this was planned," Hardison said and stopped typing. He snatched his phone from beside him, typed a few things, then held it up. It was ringing.

A phone rang onscreen. The guard growled in annoyance. He grabbed Eliot by the shoulders and shoved him into the room, where it sounded like he fell. The guard shut the door, turned the lock, and then answered his phone.

"What the HELL are you doing?" Hardison yelled into the phone, sounding administrative and pissed.

"Who is this?" The guard hissed.

"Who do you think it is, dumbass? I'm in the control room - I'm running this ship today - and I'm watching some piece of shit defying his orders and attacking the suspect."

"You have no authority over me," The guard's cocky tone sealed the deal. Hardison was gonna tear this prick a new one.

"Is that so? Then why can I do this? All units," The hacker said, holding the phone away to sound like he was speaking into a radio, "seek and detain John Sheppard. Located on level 4, south wing. Be advised: armed and dangerous."

"You can't," The guard said, dumbfounded. He was looking down both ends of the hallway. "Who are you to order that?"

"I'd run if I were you," Hardison said nonchalantly. "You know how they treat spies here. And I'll make sure you get a lot more attention than that man in there."

"Shit," The guard cursed and shoved his phone into his pocket before darting away from the room.

"Nice one," Nate commended. Both men looked to the screens, listening for any sign of Eliot's condition. They didn't hear anything.

"Are we getting him out of there?" Hardison asked, noticing Nate's tense shoulders.

"No," The mastermind sighed. "It's still the best plan to wait until tomorrow and get him out clean. He'll be fine."

Hardison bristled at that, but he didn't have any better suggestions. So they would wait.


End file.
